Effect of miR-194-3p on migration of keloid fibroblasts

Objective To study the effect of miR-194-3p on the migration of keloid fibroblasts. Methods Differentially expressed miRNA were screened by gene chip in 8 human keloid and normal tissues. The down regulated miR-194-3p was selected for study and its binding to RUNX2 was predicted by MiRDB, and verified by fluorescent reporter gene in human keloid fibroblasts (HKFs) and passage 3 keloid cells, respectively. The effect of miR-194-3p on the migration of fibroblasts was detected by transwell assay. Western blot and real-time PCR were used to analyze the effect of miR-194-3p on RUNX2 and MMP2 expression in HKFs. The results were analyzed by SPSS 19.0 software and compared by non-paired t test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results There were abnormal expressions of miR-721, miR-21-3p, miR-382-3p, miR-194-3p, miR-3107-5p and miR-144-5p in keloid. miRDB software analysis showed that miR-194-3p and RUNX2 had targeted binding sites. Reporter gene experiments showed that miR-194-3p inhibited the activity of RUNX2 by about 50% compared with the control group (t=2.7764, P=0.0005). MiR-194-3p could significantly inhibit the expression of RUNX2 and MMP2, and inhibited the migration of keloid fibroblasts (t=2.7764, P<0.05). Conclusion MiR-194-3p may inhibit the migration of fibroblasts by inhibiting the activity of RUNX2 in keloid. Key words: Keloid; Fibroblast; Migration; miR-194-3p; RUNX2